Based on Donald Whitney's book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. These are teaching notes from LTCi, Siliguri

1. Spiritual
Disciplines for
the Christian
Life
Donald S. Whitney
Friday 4 May 2012

2. Foreword by JI Packer
Friday 4 May 2012

3. Foreword by JI Packer
Who is JI Packer?
Friday 4 May 2012

4. Foreword by JI Packer
Who is JI Packer?
- he encourages Christians to
read the book 3 times!
Friday 4 May 2012

5. Foreword by JI Packer
Who is JI Packer?
- he encourages Christians to
read the book 3 times!
- suggests an interval of one
month between each reading
Friday 4 May 2012

6. Foreword by JI Packer
Who is JI Packer?
- he encourages Christians to
read the book 3 times!
- suggests an interval of one
month between each reading
- the first reading tells you what
you should be doing, the 2nd
and 3rd ask how well are you
doing it?
Friday 4 May 2012

7. Foreword by JI Packer
“the doctrine of the disciplines (Latin disciplinae,
meaning courses of learning and training) is a
restatement of classical Protestant teaching on the
means of grace (Word of God, prayer, fellowship, and
the Lord’s supper)...they are cemented in the Bible
and spelled out by the Puritan and older evangelical
masters...they are evangelical but not legalistic...he
calls us to practice the disciplines out of gratitude for
grace not out of self-justifying or self advancing effort.
As I pass you over to Don Whitney I would say to you,
“Now friend prepare for the workout.” And you will
find health for your soul.”
Friday 4 May 2012

8. Acknowledgments
Whitney declares his thanks to...
“The Puritans...They are spiritual
giants on whose shoulders I stand.
Thanks to Jonathan Edwards, CH
Spurgeon and Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
My life and ministry are
immeasurably better because of
theirs.”
He also thanks some
contemporary friends for their
help, encouragement and
enrichment in writing the book.”
Friday 4 May 2012

9. Acknowledgments
WEBSITE OF DON WHITNEY:
HTTP://
BIBLICALSPIRITUALITY.ORG/
BIOGRAPHY OF DON WHITNEY:
HTTP://
BIBLICALSPIRITUALITY.ORG/
ABOUT/BIOGRAPHY/
Friday 4 May 2012

10. Key Verse
1 Timothy 4:7
...Have nothing to do with
godless myths and old wives’
tales; rather, train yourself to
be godly. (NIV)
But have nothing to do with
worldly fables fit only for old
women. On the other hand,
discipline yourself for the
purpose of godliness;
(NASB)
Friday 4 May 2012

11. Spiritual disciplines...for the
purpose of godliness
V. Raymond Edman, "Ours is an
undisciplined age. The old
disciplines are breaking down...
Above all, the discipline of divine
grace is derided as legalism or is
entirely unknown to a generation
that is largely illiterate in the
Scriptures. We need the rugged
strength of Christian character
that can come only from
discipline."
Friday 4 May 2012

12. “Discipline without direction
is drudgery”
For many Christians they think of
spiritual disciplines as drudgery - it is
the fact they have no spiritual
direction that makes it drudgery -
prayer, meditation, fasting all seem to
many believers to be unclear in their
benefits.
We need to understand God’s vision
for us, Rom 8:29, For those whom he
foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image of his Son,
This is so we will be like him (1 Jn
3:2)
Friday 4 May 2012

13. Understand that God has a desire
for us to be like him - however we
are not to wait for this holiness
but to pursue it, Heb 12:14,
Make every effort to live in peace
with everyone and to be holy;
without holiness no one will see
the Lord.
How do we do this? Back to our
key verse, 1 Tim 4:7,
...train (discipline yourself, NASB)
yourself to be godly.
Practice of the spiritual
disciplines help us to become
mature and godly.
Friday 4 May 2012

14. The spiritual disciplines:
The means to godliness
Spiritual disciplines have been
practiced by Christians for
millennia and include:
Bible intake, Prayer
Worship, Evangelism
Service, Stewardship
Fasting, Silence
Solitude, Journalling
Learning - and many more...
Confession, accountability,
submission, simplicity, spiritual
direction, celebration, sacrifice...
Friday 4 May 2012

15. The most important aspect of
any spiritual discipline is its
purpose - for the purpose of
godliness.
God gives us spiritual discipline
that we might pursue him.
Whitney lists many famous
Christians all of whom were
disciplined in their pursuit of
spiritual maturity:
Muller, Spurgeon, Calvin, Bunyan,
Susanna Wesley, Whitfield, Sarah
Edwards.
Godliness comes through
discipline
Friday 4 May 2012

16. God uses 3 primary ways to
change us - only one do we
have any control over:
1. People - Pr 27:17
Iron sharpens iron, and one
man sharpens another.
Hebrew: sharpens the face
of another
Friends, enemies, parents,
children, wife, coworker,
teacher, neighbour, pastor,
preacher...
Friday 4 May 2012

17. 2. Circumstances - Rom 8:28
And we know that for those
who love God all things work
together for good,for those
who are called according to his
purpose.
3. Spiritual Disciplines - here
God is working from the inside
out, and God gives us a
measure of choice here - we
can choose to read the Bible
etc. We usually cannot choose
people and circumstances.
Friday 4 May 2012

18. We have to balance the fact that
even our greatest, most
determined efforts will not make
us more holy (as this is a gift of
God, Jn 17:17, 1 Thess 5:23), and
yet we can further the process
and grow in grace through
spiritual disciplines. In this
process we place ourselves
before God in order that he might
work in us.
The word we use for discipline
comes from a Greek word from
which we get gymnasium and it
means to exercise or discipline.
Friday 4 May 2012

19. Spiritual disciplines place us in
the path of God’s grace -
similarly to Bartimaeus (Lk
18:35ff) and Zacchaeus (Lk
19:1ff). Our hope in all of this is
transformation, 2 Cor 3:18,
And we all, with unveiled
face,beholding the glory of the
Lord, are being transformed into
the same image from one degree
of glory to another. For this
comes from the Lord who is the
Spirit.
Friday 4 May 2012

20. “I must take care above all
that I cultivate communion
with Christ, for though that
can never be the basis of my
peace - mark that - yet it will
be the channel of it.”
Charles H. Spurgeon
The job of a football coach is
to make men do what they
don't want to do, in order to
achieve what they've always
wanted to be.
Tom Landry.
Friday 4 May 2012

21. We pursue
spiritual
disciplines in
order to
become more
like Jesus
Christ; that is
all we have
wanted to be.
Friday 4 May 2012